Yesterday we talked about How Men Shop so today we are going to dive into How Women Shop. This information is valuable to all resellers, but especially if you are a man and you are selling womens merchandise (I’ll admit, I learned a LOT writing the How Men Shop article!)

Like we said yesterday, mens and womens brains are “wired differently” and the retail industry spends unimaginable amounts of money on understanding these differences so they can cater to their buyers. Thankfully, we can just read their findings and apply the same techniques, free of charge :)

The first most important difference between men and women shoppers is that for women shopping is both an “event” and a “pastime” that many women consider “one of their favorite things”, whereas men basically hate it and only shop when necessary. With that in mind, if you are a man selling womens merch, you should be spending a little extra time on the listings because she wants more of an “experience” than your male buyers do.

According to Forbes (2019 article), women are still the decision makers for 70-80% of ALL consumer purchases! And if you still think that men are always the “bread winner” you might be surprised to discover that 1-in-every-4 C-Level Executive Positions are now held by women! In fact, women now account for almost HALF of all surgeons, almost 20% of software developers and OVER 50% of all Financial Services positions. Heck, women now even own and operate warehouses… I do. According to U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, 40% of women surveyed report earning more than their spouses / significant other… which is actually shockingly impressive because women tend to be the “child raiser”; meaning, I was the one that left work when my sons were sick at school. I was one that had to take days off due to field trips, etc. It's hard to stay late to finish a presentation when you have to pick the kids up from school at 3pm.  So being that women have found a way to make more than men AND also raise a family is pretty amazing!

So just how important is it to cater to womens shopping desires? VERY! Women, ages 15 to 35 spend at least 1 hour a DAY shopping! And, did you know that almost 90% of women who find a company they like will continue to be repeat buyers through that company!!!  That's impressive dedication!

Now let’s look at specifically what women want to see when it comes to a Shopping Experience (Google refers to this as “UX” meaning “User Experience”), whether it be online or in-store.

We have learned from previous articles that women choose merchandise based on a variety of factors, but “Fit” and “Value” took first and second place. For an online store, “Fit” is determined through DETAILS. The more details you can provide the more likely a woman is to purchase, whereas a man prefers few, yet concise, details. Men find tons of information to be unnecessary (unless its a tool or technology purchase) whereas women will take the time to compare items and evaluate which option best fits their needs. As we mentioned in our How Men Shop article, a mans goal is to not leave empty handed while a woman seeks out “the perfect solution”, so your listing has to be structured to meet both needs: Offer the important details in an quick-to-read fashion for your male buyers then offer Additional Details for your women buyers who want to learn more.

When it comes to “Value”, women aren’t strictly seeking out the lowest price.  In fact, the definition of the word "Value" doesn't even include the words "cost" or price"!  Value encompasses the entire item and actually means, "the importance, worth, or usefulness of something". A low quality shirt at a high price does not have the same “value” as a high quality shirt at a fair price. A 3-piece multi-pack of underwear for $15 does not have the same value as a 6-pack for $20.  A couple years ago I spent over $2,000 on a new mattress.  It was one of the more expensive mattresses but I felt the "Value" of a good sleep and eleminating backpain was substantially more important than saving money.  Additionally, women like Sales, Discounts and Coupons (while men could care less and generally see these things as “clutter”). Earlier this week we learned that around 80% of women purchase simply because it was part of a Sale.

Men will often “settle” for something because they do not want to keep looking for a better item. As we previously learned, for Men this often includes color and brand. I had no idea that a man genuinely doesn’t care what color dress shirt he gets as long as he feels it looks nice and the process was fast. Meanwhile, women have no problem looking more or waiting! You are going to be hard pressed to find a woman who is going to settle for something she doesn’t like that you are selling. And, worse than that, if she does settle, it’s likely going to result in a complaint. Don’t believe me? Just read Amazon reviews for anything. Almost all of the 1-star and 2-stars say “It wasn’t exactly what I wanted but I thought it would work” followed by a verbal lashing of how absolutely terrible the flower pot is.

And even though men shop out of necessity and usually last moment, women will plan ahead and maximize off-season deals, clearance sections and last-chance bargains. In my Mens article I mentioned that my husband shops for Christmas on Christmas Eve meanwhile I am 100% done with my shopping before November 1st. With this in mind, you CAN sell your winter merch mid-summer and that bathing suit doesn’t need to be held back until May, providing the merch you are selling is a good “Value”.

Another thing that plays into “Value” is Free Shipping. We have shown so much data in the past month that charging for shipping (or any other “surprise fee”) will kill a potential sale quicker than an angry Honey Badger fighting a King Cobra. So if your items ship free of charge, and if there’s no additional fees, make sure people know right away!

IN CLOSING, here's the most important takeaways:

• Women want all the details.  There is no such thing as too many details!
• Free Shipping is a must
• "Fit" is the #1 reason for purchase but "Value" is almost as important
• Sales, Discounts, Coupons, Loyalty Club, Free Stuff, VIP systems... whatever it may be, it adds to the "Value"
• Be prepared: a woman will not settle for merchandise and she has no problem comparing items.  If a different seller has more details or more value, you will likely lose the sale, even if you are selling the identical item